Thanksgiving 09 Photo

It is difficult to get all our kids together.  We were able to get a photo of the ones that were at Thanksgiving Dinner with us this year, thanks to a very good family friend behind the camera!

left to right: Prion, Carpenter (son-in-law) who is married to Spunky, me, Hubby, Vet2Be

Wonder Drug...

Drying Onions

We had a good crop of onions from the garden this year. Not much else grew because I spent so much time going back and forth to the east coast. Oh well! We love onions! The red onions did much better than the yellow. I have no idea why. We planted the same number of each. Perhaps it is the soil in the west, maybe the amount of water, I'm not sure.

Our crop drying on the patio table that we moved into the house.

I thought about braiding the stems, but that would take lots of time. So I have to find someone who has  old stockings. I don't wear them and so I don't have any. Once the onions are dry, I can put them in old stockings with knots between them. I can hang them from the storage room ceiling. Then I can just cut the bottom onion off whenever I need one for cooking.

Anyone have any other ideas on what to use if I can't find stockings?

Chevre—update

Yum! I mixed the chevre I made over the last two days with salt and some herbs and it is delicious! I can hardly believe that I made something that tastes soooo good. I wish I lived closer to my family so I could share with them, they would all love it, too.

Here it is all ready to bring to Thanksgiving Dinner!

I added 3/4 teaspoon Sea Salt, 1 teaspoon Basil, 1/2 teaspoon Thyme, 3/4 teaspoon Garlic powder. It is so delicious that I doubt any will come home from Thanksgiving Dinner tonight.

Chevre

I am getting ready for Thanksgiving Dinner tomorrow. I'm a bit behind, but no matter! Thanksgiving will come whether I am ready or not.

Yesterday I started some Chevre for Thanksgiving. I am always trying to figure out better ways to drain the cheese. Trying to pour the whey into the cheesecloth is sometimes a bit sloppy. This seems to be the best way yet. I have a spaghetti pot that is tall and narrow. One of my wire strainers fit right into the opening. Then I lay a piece of butter muslin over the strainer.

I let the cheese drain for a while until I stop hearing constant dripping.

Here is what the strainer looks like sitting right in the spaghetti pot opening. I love how the strainer fits into the top of the pot perfectly! As if they were made to fit together for this job.

When the dripping of the whey has slowed down I twist up the muslin and put it between two dowels. Then I wrap a twist tie around the muslin and the dowels and sit it on top of the pot to finish draining for 8-12 hours depending on what consistency I want.

Actually, I drain it in the refrigerator until I remember it! Sometimes it is evening of the same day, sometimes the next morning.

Two things that make the spaghetti pot great for draining cheese is the narrow opening and the deep pot. The narrow opening allows me to use a strainer and dowels across the top. The deep pot allows the cheese drain for hours without having to check it often. If the pot is too shallow it fills up with whey quickly and then the cheese sits in the whey until I remember to take a peek at it.

My favorite chevre starter is found here (at New England Cheesemaking Supply). I love the flavor! It is perfect by itself, makes a great cheese for Chocolate Cheesecake Truffles, and is wonderful when it is mixed with herbs for a cracker spread.

Ahhh..... the magic of cheese!

Teaching Spinning

We try to do fun things when we homeschool. Hands-on projects are favorites. This week I taught the children how to use a carder and drop spindle. Here are a few photos from the day. Thanks to Vet2Be for taking them!

 Charging the carder with wool.

The carder all full of wool. The wool is nothing special, just stuff I use for teaching. It wasn't sheared very well so it is great practice wool.

 Me showing the kids how to card :)

One of the hardest concepts for kids to understand is to not dig the teeth of the top carder into the teeth of the bottom carder! One of the kids had the wool pushed way down into the teeth because she didn't understand that the purpose of carding is just to get the fibers going in the same direction and to get the last bits of vegetable matter out.

Each time I teach something I learn how to explain it better for the next time. This was no exception!

Cornhusk Doll

Last week we made corn husk dolls. This is mine. Her hair is dried corn silk and her kerchief is a scrap of 1860's reproduction fabric.

I have never made a corn husk doll before, but I thought it was fairly easy and lots of fun. I wish I had time to make a Nativity set, or at least some for a centerpiece for the Thanksgiving table.

Ella will sit on the sewing table for a while, and then I'll store her in our box of Pioneer clothing. From time to time people ask to borrow period clothing or toys and Ella will be a perfect addition to a little girl's outfit.

Here is where we found the directions:  NativeTech